{fabric covered crate seat}

I’m happy to announce the official start of the…

…School’s {in} Session Series @ Wait ‘Til Your Father Gets Home!

Over the next two weeks I’ve got twelve amazing bloggers that are eager to share some awesome back to school crafts, projects, recipes, tips & tricks!

I’ve also got a HUGE GIVEAWAY for YOU, my fantastic readers to celebrate this fun time of year! Come back TODAY around 7 PM to enter to win gift cards, handmade items (perfect for back to school) from several great Etsy shops, free ad space, and a couple of beautiful jewelry pieces as well! It’s going to be BIG! I can’t wait to introduce you to all the lovely ladies that made the giveaway possible…I know you’ll LOVE them!

To kick things off today, I wanted to share a super cute storage/decor idea for any elementary classroom, home school room, playroom, reading corner, or kids bedroom!

To make a {fabric covered crate seat} you’ll need:

milk crates (we used 4 for this project)

3 yards fabric (22 x 24 inches)

twin mattress pad (you can find these super cheap at Target or WalMart)

I helped a good friend make a set of these seats for her 2nd grade classroom, but I’ve already got plans to make a couple more to go in my little guy’s reading corner soon as well! Since neither my friend or myself had absolutely any experience using a table saw, her hubby helped us out by measuring and cutting the particle board for us! If we had actually had to do that part, this project probably would have taken us all day! I know, I know…I need to learn to use tools…does a screwdriver count?!

To start, lay out the foam mattress pad and use the cut piece of particle board as a guide. Cut the foam as close to the size of the board as you can. You could use two layers of foam per board if you want the seats to be extra soft. We felt that the one layer was just fine though!

Next, you’ll need to cut the fabric pieces. The measurements listed above for the fabric are very generous. To cut each piece we simply laid out the fabric underneath the cut board and cut. Just make sure to leave enough of a border of the fabric that you can fold it tightly over the foam pad and the board and staple it securely.

Now you’re ready to fold and staple. You should have the fabric, wrong side facing up, first, then the foam, and finally the particle board. Make nice, tight folds and staple with a staple gun in place.

Fold the corners like you would a present. You may need a few extra staples to ensure that everything is secure!

Once the fabric is completely secured on all sides, you’re ready to attach the ribbon. This will serve as a ribbon pull to lift the seat part off the crate, so you can store items in the crate itself. We put the ribbon pull on the short side of the seat after measuring to find the middle. Use a 10 inch piece folded in half. You may also want to use a lighter on the ends to keep the ribbon from fraying over time.

Now, all you have left to do is pop the seat on top of the crate!

These are perfect for little bodies to sit on and enjoy a good book! The nice thing about them is you can make them in any color imaginable, so they will fit your room decor/theme perfectly! I also LOVE the fact that they are multi-purpose: a seat and a book storage item in one!

My friend ended up making a set of four to use in her listening center in her classroom.

Remember, come back around 7 PM EST this evening to meet the School’s {in} Session Giveaway Donors and all of the awesome prizes that one lucky winner will receive! This contest is only open to U.S. residents. I’m hoping to have giveaways in the future open to U.S. and Canada residents, so stay tuned! AND, check back each day over the next two weeks for some amazing back to school ideas!

I LOVE these seats!! I wanted to comment on your School’s In Session Giveaway, but there is no comment section?! I think the prizes are GREAT, but I have to admit I am MOST excited at the thought of winning the Target giftcard.

What a great idea! These would be wonderful for a kid’s room or a dorm room or a Sunday school room–I can imagine lots of uses! Those crates are very sturdy; I’m sure they work really well. Thanks for sharing your inspiration!

This is awesome, Meredith! It turned out great. I love the pattern and the red! Thank you so much for sharing at my Throwback Thursday party. I’m so happy you stopped by and hope you’ll come by again this week!

I love this seat. It is such a great storage solution! I have featured you with this week’s Blog Stalking Thursday! I would love for you to stop by and grab a Featured Button. Wear it proudly, you deserve it! Thanks again

I absolutely love this! I’m new to your site. I hope you will link this up at One Creative Weekend at OneCreativeMommy.com. I can’t wait to make some of these. Thanks for the inspiration. (I have seen this before, but never with a tutorial.) (pinning and following you.)

Hi! Thank you so much for including the dimensions. That saves so much time. I teach 5th, do you think these would be too small? What do you think the weight limit is? I want to put some cute seats in my reading area.
Thanks again,
Celeste

I think if they are in your reading area and perhaps even around a reading table, the kids would love them! I think they should be just fine for a 5th grader, unless you’ve got some super tall kiddos!!

Just was wondering where you purchased the crates? My dad is helping me with this project for my Kindergarten classroom and the crates I purchased from Target have uneven ledges inside which would interfere with the wood.

I made these for my second grade classroom and LOVE them!! They save so much room around my reading table! I have the same difficulty with tools. If you take your crate to Home Depot they will cut the board to fit your crate at no extra charge!!! Loved this!!!! Warning: If you buy crates from Wal-Mart and Target, the boards will not fit both. There is just a little bit of difference in the size of the crates. Learned this the hard way. I recommend these highly for any classroom.

Hi there!
I love these! I’m making them for my classroom but I am having trouble finding the foam??? The only foam mattress padding available at Target was $70+ and since you said super cheap I didn’t think that was what you meant. Any ideas??
Thanks
Jenny

Now that you have had these for a few years, how are they holding up? I want to make these for my classroom, but my husband is REALLY worried about the seats falling into the crates. Have you experienced this?

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